Parallels: upgading xp installation to vista

I have installed parallels and windows xp.
I would like to install windows vista on parallels as an upgrade, so I do not lose any installed applications and settings.
Is this possible?

- how can I do it with safety? Just running win vista setup inside win xp/parallels?
-the backup of parallels, is through the whole backup of mac os x(like superduper does), in case something goes wrong with vista install?
-is there anyone who did it already?
-is vista much heavier and slower in parallels than xp?

I have installed parallels and windows xp.
I would like to install windows vista on parallels as an upgrade, so I do not lose any installed applications and settings.
Is this possible?

- how can I do it with safety? Just running win vista setup inside win xp/parallels?
-the backup of parallels, is through the whole backup of mac os x(like superduper does), in case something goes wrong with vista install?
-is there anyone who did it already?
-is vista much heavier and slower in parallels than xp?

What should I know before proceed to this upgrade?

Click to expand...

I was not able to use the vista upgrade dvd to upgrade xp.. I hear that you can do a fresh install of vista. When doing the upgrade, the installer complains that the hardware is not supported because of lacking acpi support.

I was not able to use the vista upgrade dvd to upgrade xp.. I hear that you can do a fresh install of vista. When doing the upgrade, the installer complains that the hardware is not supported because of lacking acpi support.

Click to expand...

I would imagine installing Vista will be a problem for many. Microsoft went way overboard with Digital Rights Management protections in Vista, so if any part of the system you are installing on is considered insecure or is unrecognized by Vista, you may have difficulty getting that particular device to run under Vista. Vista is going to be a nightmare for many. They have this thing called mass driver revocation where if someone, anyone, anywhere in the world, violates a copyright using the Vista operating system, then all drivers on that system will be revoked, not only on that persons machine, but ALL machines using that hardware worldwide. It's really farked because you could be playing your favorite online game using your ultra high end SLi or Crossfire video cards when someone halfway around the world pirates a DVD and all of a sudden your video cards drop down to 640x480 VGA resolution or the screen goes black because the drivers got revoked.

I have installed parallels and windows xp.
I would like to install windows vista on parallels as an upgrade, so I do not lose any installed applications and settings.
Is this possible?

- how can I do it with safety? Just running win vista setup inside win xp/parallels?
-the backup of parallels, is through the whole backup of mac os x(like superduper does), in case something goes wrong with vista install?
-is there anyone who did it already?
-is vista much heavier and slower in parallels than xp?

What should I know before proceed to this upgrade?

Click to expand...

The answer is YES, you can upgrade to Vista from within Parallels. Here's what the official Parallels blog says:

-- How do I upgrade my XP machine to Vista? Is it even possible?

Yes, it is. This is a feature that we introduced just before the final version of the update, in RC3. In the Parallels menu bar, click "actions", then click "Prepare for Vista Upgrade". Parallels will do some back-end reconfiguration that will enable you to upgrade from XP to Vista just like you would on a real PC.

Have you tried the new parallels update build 3188? It has a "prepare windows vista upgrade". the build seems to work much faster than the last build. can't speak for vista though. one problem was upgrading to build 3188 from the old build. for some reason, i got black screen and had to reinstall build 3188 from scratch.

I have to say that I think I'm going to switch to VMWare for now, it has fewer features but seems a lot more stable (plus it supports dual core and has experimental DirectX support.) Parallels is such a work-in-progress (which is odd, of course, since VMWare is the one in beta.)

No, parallels has had an official 1.0 release, but they pump out builds as if they were in beta. The project has an open-source feel to it, but I tip my cap to them for innovating as quickly as they have, the product has advanced enormously in a year. I'll come back to them in another year when things settle down.

For the OP - I would suggest that you don't migrate to Vista unless there is a really necessary reason you need it. Off the top of my head, there is no software out there that is Vista only and wouldnt work on XP.

Vista itself is much slower in Parallels than XP, is a resource hog (will require more resources allocated to your VM than XP), and the lack of DX9 means you won't even see the pretty Aero interface. Past the newer icons etc, it all looks the same underneath as well!

If you really wanna try Vista, I'd recommend you install it as a new VM as a trial (dont put in a licensce key when you install) and see if it work for you etc, before upgrading your existing/working image of XP.

For the OP - I would suggest that you don't migrate to Vista unless there is a really necessary reason you need it. Off the top of my head, there is no software out there that is Vista only and wouldnt work on XP.

Vista itself is much slower in Parallels than XP, is a resource hog (will require more resources allocated to your VM than XP), and the lack of DX9 means you won't even see the pretty Aero interface. Past the newer icons etc, it all looks the same underneath as well!

If you really wanna try Vista, I'd recommend you install it as a new VM as a trial (dont put in a licensce key when you install) and see if it work for you etc, before upgrading your existing/working image of XP.

Click to expand...

If I try vista as a new VM and everything is ok, is there any way to migrate my whole enviroment(applications and settings) from xp VM, using a parallels task?

If I try vista as a new VM and everything is ok, is there any way to migrate my whole enviroment(applications and settings) from xp VM, using a parallels task?

Click to expand...

Well, Parallels Desktop has a tool called Transporter to migrate your existing system to any Parallels enabled computer. I don't know if it will help in this particular situation. I gave a link to the product, everything is written about transporter there

In fact, I don't see any reason for migrating to Vista. It really drains system resources like hell. XP works better for me. And on top of all Vista doesn't have any revolutionary features. The only thing I'm curious about is Aero that won't work in Parallels yet

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.